Daycare places

So this is a little bit of a rant rather than anything....

My maternity leave is up mid next year and the daycare centre I'd lined up for DD advised that they have places available at the start of the year but can't guarantee that there will be any mid year. Which means if I want to confirm a place I'll need to enrol DD 5 months before I go back to work. This is a waste of resources on several levels!!
1. I have to pay for daycare that I don't need and probably won't use.
2. Centrelink is subsidising a service that isn't needed.
3. A daycare spot is potentially being taken away from someone who actually needs it.

I'm guessing that this situation is pretty common and I've been pretty naive about how the whole daycare thing ...? (DD is my first baby).

Daycare spots can be very scarce and I had to wait a few months after I was meant to go back to work. I think they are putting working mums first and offering it to you as if the spot goes you may not get one when you need to go back to work.

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Generally there are availabilities at the beginning of the year because children move up into older rooms etc. it is very hard to get a mid year spot and only get ally happens if someone else leaves. Centres try to fully book at the start of the year as it is more profitable.

This is so common now. I'm not sure where you are, but mid year cc spots are getting hard to secure if primary schools are only doing 1 intake a year like in SA. It affects cc all the way to the nursery as they are no longer moving kids up into the next room every 6ish months like before.

I went back to Uni then quit and I am looking for work. I've had to keep sending ds 2 days a week to keep my spot because if I take him out then get offered a job it's very likely I won't be able to secure cc. The centre he goes to is fully booked next year too, as are most centers around us. I'm waiting to hear about a job ATM and gave needed to put my name down for extra days next year in case I get it. There are about 30 kids ahead of him on the wait list for those days. 😕 It's very annoying.

Guess I'll just bite the bullet and pay for 5 months worth of daycare that I don't need...! I might leave her there for a few hours a week while I get groceries and clean the house. Much easier without a baby in tow.

This is so common now. I'm not sure where you are, but mid year cc spots are getting hard to secure if primary schools are only doing 1 intake a year like in SA. It affects cc all the way to the nursery as they are no longer moving kids up into the next room every 6ish months like before.

I went back to Uni then quit and I am looking for work. I've had to keep sending ds 2 days a week to keep my spot because if I take him out then get offered a job it's very likely I won't be able to secure cc. The centre he goes to is fully booked next year too, as are most centers around us. I'm waiting to hear about a job ATM and gave needed to put my name down for extra days next year in case I get it. There are about 30 kids ahead of him on the wait list for those days. 😕 It's very annoying.

Guess I'll just bite the bullet and pay for 5 months worth of daycare that I don't need...! I might leave her there for a few hours a week while I get groceries and clean the house. Much easier without a baby in tow.

I think the only way they'd have space mid year is if someone left or if a child moved up to another room and they can't predict those things ahead of time which is prob why that can guarantee you a spot. The rooms would all be full with accepted places at the beginning of the year.

You could be lucky and get a spot but will just be hard if you're counting on it. Or you could try family day care for half the year.

Thanks. Having cc has allowed me to do some casual work at least. In between it has been good to be able to get errands and house work done without ds with me, it's surprising how quickly my "days off" fill up just doing that stuff. Doesn't ease the guilt much though 😕. If the work doesn't pan out next year I'll be taking him out.

I put DS's name down at the beginning of April 2014 for a full time place in March 2015 when DS would be 6 months.
A day became available in January that I had to take then. Then 2 more days became available at beginning of Feb that I also had to take or lose.
So I ended up back at work a bit earlier than planned.
If I had not taken the spots and hoped for the best, it would have been July before I was back full time. That wouldn't have worked for my work place.
I guess there just aren't enough places

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